Thermal comfort of vehicle occupants is an important aspect of the driving experience. Vehicle touch surfaces can get hot after being exposed to the sun. Existing steering wheels may reach temperatures that are well above the ambient temperature. Because the steering wheel may be exposed to more direct sun than other controls necessary for driving (e.g. ignition switch, shifter, brake, accelerator, seat cushions etc.), the steering wheel may be too hot to touch, thus preventing the driver from driving the vehicle until it has cooled. Traditional methods of cooling a vehicle interior space by air circulation involve opening a door or opening one or more windows. These known cooling methods require a user to be present for security reasons while waiting for the steering wheel to cool. Although it may be possible to remotely actuate a vehicle's air conditioning system in some instances, this is typically a very inefficient way to cool the steering wheel, and the steering wheel may still be too hot to touch for some time even if the cabin air temperature is comfortable. In view of the above, a need exists for an improved way to cool vehicle steering wheels.
Also, if a user begins to use a steering wheel after it has been exposed to cold temperatures, the user may experience discomfort upon contact with the cold wheel. Although heated steering wheels have been developed, known heated steering wheels may suffer from various drawbacks due to limits in the amount of heat available to heat the steering wheel.